Toy fire house



R. LOHR TOY FIRE HOUSE Nov. 8, 1938.

Filed NOV. 13, 1957 3 She'eCS-Sheet l F'w`r`;

l I I l l INVENTOR Ra almond Lohr' ATTORNEYS Nov. 8, 1938. R. LoHR Y 2,135,584l

f TQY FIRE HOUSE Filed Nov. 13, 1937 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 CEJNA l INVENTOR laymond Lo/71" R. LOHR TOY FIRE HOUSE l Nov. s, 1938.

5 Sheets-Sheet' 5 Filed NOV. 13, 1957 INVENTOR y/Wa/m La/1 BY ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 8, 19.38

PATENT OFFIQE TOY FIRE HOUSE Raymond Lohr, Erie, Pa., assignor to Louis Marx & Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporatien of New York Application November 13, 1937, Serial No. 174,362

18 Claims. (Cl. 464-12) This invention relates to toys, and more particularly to a toyksimulating a building with a plurality of vehicles which leave the building sequentially. In the typical example here disclosed, the building simulates a re house and the vehicles simulate lire-fighting vehicles.y

The primary object of my invention is to generally improvetoys of the character speciiied above. A more particular object is to obtain successive or sequential departure of the vehicles from the building with a time interval therebetween while controlling the toy by means of a single operation of, a single control device. This control device is preferably located remotely from the building and is connected thereto by simple means such as a wire link. In accordance with a further object of my invention, the toy is provided with an alarm signal which preferably functions continuously overa substantial period l of time and during they departure of all of the vehicles.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and other objects which will hereinafter appear, my invention consists lin the toy building and vehicle and alarm elements and their relation one to the ,30 Fig. l is a plan view of a toy embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof;

Fig. v3 is an inverted plan view showing the operating mechanism of the toy;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken in the plane of the line ll---flV of Fig. 2 with the vehicles removed;

Fig. 5 is. a detail explanatory of the operation of the mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a section taken in the plane of the line 6 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectionl taken in the plane of the line 1 1 of Fig. 6;

Fig, 8 is a section taken in the plane of the line 8 8 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 9 is a detailof the alarm box mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, and more particu- A .larly to Figs. l and 2, the toy here illustrated cornprises an enlarged flat base B on which is mounted a simulated fire house H. Simulated firefighting vehicles V are placed inthe fire house I-I, these vehicles being adapted to leave the re house in the direction of the arrows. The operation of the toy is. controlled by a simulated-alarm box A. This alarm box more immediately controls spring operated mechanism S which in turn drives alarm Signal mechanism M and causes sequential departure of the vehicles from the ire house.

Considering the arrangement in greater de- 5 tail, the building H may be made to simulate a iire house or police garage, or army depot, or the like. It comprises end portions l2 and I4 which act as, individual garages for the vehicles, and a center portion I6 which houses the operating 10 mechanism. In the present case the building is enclosed by rear and side walls, but the front wall is open except at the center part I6. This dispenses with the necessity for using doors. r The parts of the building H are made of sheet 1 metal, and are secured together by the usual tongue and slot connections. The base B is also preferably made of. sheet metal having a downyturned peripheral flange I8, and the building and base are secured together by tongue and slot connections.

The vehicles V may simulate nre-fighting vehicles, police cars, army trucks, or the like, dcpending upon the nature of the particular toy simulation. As here illustrated, the vehicle 2B 25 simulates a chiefs car, and the vehicle 22 simulates a reengine or ladder and hose truck. In the present toy, the vehicles are motorless, and are therefore arranged to be forcibly ejected from the building in order to set them into motion.

yFor this purpose there is a pusher 24 behind vehicle 20 and a pusher 26 behind vehicle 22. These pushers are shown in greater detail in Figs. 3 through 8, and refering to Fig. '7, it will 35 be seen that each pusher comprises a bottom plate 28 resting on base B and having bent upwardly therefrom a back or pusher plate 3Q. The sheet'metal base B is slotted within the garages l2 and I4, forming slots 32. Bottom plates 28 40 have tongues 34 and 3B bent downwardly therefrom and passing through slots 32. These tongues (see Fig. 3) are preferably enlarged beneath the slot to prevent the pushers from coming away from the base B. The slots 32 may be enlarged 45 at one end as shown at 38, thus forming a passage which facilitates mounting the pusher on the base, the tongues 34 and 36 being received through the enlargement 38. The pushers are normally pulled forwardly by pull springs 40, 50 the rear` ends of which are connected to tongues 34 and the forward ends of which are anchored on lugs 42 bent downwardly from the base. Rounded teats or projections 44 (Fig. '7) may be struck4 downwardly on the surface of. bottom 55 plates 23 in order to provide bearing surfaces which ride smoothly over base B during reciprocation of the pushers. Y

In Fig. 7 the pusher 26 is shown in its forward position. The pusher 24 is shown in its rearward position, and when the pusher is moved from the forward position to the rearward position, it is engaged and held in rearward position by latch 46. A generally similar latch 48 is provided for pusher 26. These latches are mounted beneath the base, but have a lip or flange 50 turned upwardly therefrom and projecting above the base through suitable openings 52 (Fig. 4). The latches are pivoted on eyelets 54 and are normally urged in outward orlatching directionL by means of springs. 56. The slope of flange 50 is such that the latch is readily displaced during rearward movement of the p-usher until the pusher passes the latch, whereupon it springs outwardly into holding engagement.

The sequential release of latches 46 and 48 is obtained by means which may, for convenience, be referred to as a cam Wheel, although' actually, the camming projection is formed. onv a `wheel which, for purposes later described, is preferably a toothed gear wheel. Referring to Figs. 4 through 7, the cam wheel is designated 60, and comprises a wheel of rather large diameter having a camming lug |52 depending therefrom, said lug in the present case being struckV downwardly from the body of wheel 60.V The movementof wheel 60 is limited to somewhat less than a single rotation by means of axed stopf or abutment 64 struck upwardly from the base. Wheel 60' ls driven by a spring 66. best shown in Fig. 6, the end S8 of the spring being anchored on one edge of motor framev 10, and theA end 1'2" of the spring being anchored on a; drum I4 secured to a square winding stem l' the lower endy of which carries wheel 60. Referring temporarily` to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the upper end of winding stem 'I6 projects through the top ofthe building, and is bent to form ak handle 1-8 by means of which the spring 6|'mayY be ten'sioned.

Referring now to Fig. 5, the winding stem '|6Y and wheel 60 are turned in a clockwise direction to tension the spring. The motion of wheel 60 is limited by reason of camming element 62 reaching stop 64. The spring tends tounwind and to move wheel 60v in a counterclockwise direction, but is prevented from doing so by a detent formed by upwardly bending the end of arm 82 of an angle lever pivoted on the base The detent arm is? mounted beneath the base, but detent 80 projects upwardly above the base throughT an appropriate slot 86. The detent is normally moved to locking position by a spring 88. It will be noted that camming element 62 is biased or disposed at an angle such that it readily disp-laces detent 80 outwardly While passing the same during the winding operation.

To set the toy into operation, it is merely neces'- saly to tripor release the detent 80. This is preferably done by a simulated alarm box A located remotely from the" fire house, but for structural convenience, located preferably on the base B. Referring to4 Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the alarm box A comprises an enclosed boxlike portion mounted at the upper end of a hollow tubular pedestal 9-2 the lower end .94 of which is secured to the base. An operating rod 96 extends vertically through thetubular pedestal 92. The upper end. of the rodis bent forwardly and forms an operating handle 98 projecting through the slot |00 in box 90. The lower end of rod 96 is bent sidewardly to form an arm |02 which in turn is connected by a link |04 to arm |06 of the detent. VReferring to Fig. 9, it will be seen that link |04 is connected to arm |02 by flattening the end |08 of the link and perforatingV the same to loosely receive arm |02. The latter is excised at ||0 to-form locating ears on opposite sides of link end |08.

Referring to-Fig. 6, it will be seen that the other end of link |04 is turned' at right angles and passes directly through detent arm |06. From a consideration of Fig. 1, it will be understood that by moving the control handle 98 at the alarm box to the right, the detent is released, thus freeing' the cam wheelA for movement under the iniiuence of motor spring 66.

Referring now to Fig. 7, during the resulting counter'clockwise movement of cam wheel 60, the camming element 62 passes and moves inwardly a cam follower pin ||2. This cam follower pin projects upwardly' from a link I |4` extending sidewardly to latch 481, it beingpiv'ota-lly connected thereto by eyelet H6. Link VI |4 is disposed beneath the base, but the inner end is stepped upwardly somewhat to overlie thebase, it passing through. an appropriate opening H8. It will be understoodthat the inward movement o'f arm |114 moves latch 48 from the locking position shown in Figs. 4 and 5 to' the unlocked position shown in Fig. 7, thus' freeing the pusher 26 to move from the broken line position 26 to the solid' line position 26. The movement ofthe pusher is, of course, an abrupt one, it beingv under the influence of springl 40; andthe pusher elects the toyvehicle from the garage and imparts considerable speed' to the vehicle.

The cam wheel 60 continues its movement and after traveling approximately degrees, the

cam element 62 reaches the broken line position i 62 shown in Fig; 7, whereupon it bea-rs against the cam follower pin |20 of a link |22 Vextending to' latch 46; The resulting" inward movement of the latch' causes release of pusher 24` with consequent forcible ejectio'n of the othervehicle. Link |22 underlies the base except forl its. inner end which comes above the base' through an appropriate opening |24.

The openings ||8 and |24 are enlarged' and shaped as shown to facilitate the winding'movement of` the cam wheel. Thus, referring to Fig. "r

5, it will be seen that during clockwise movement of the cam wheel theA canming element 62r on leaving the'stopf64 bearsagainst follower pin |20, but passes the follower p-in without difficulty because link |22Y oscillates, as shown', froml the solid" to the broken lin'e positions, this oscillation being accommodated by opening |24. A similar oscillation of link I |4 i's'ac'comrnodated` by opening H8.

The myy isv additionally provid-ed with signa1 alarm mechanism. Referring to Figs. 4, 6 and 7, the alarm in this case comprises a bell |30 mounted on the base at |32. This bell is arranged to be repeatedly'7 rapidly' struck by a bell striker |34, said striker being mounted on a pin throughout the operation of the toy and the successive departure of the vehicles from the iire house. y

1n order to avoid ringing of the bell during winding of the. camwheel drive spring 66, the geartrain leading to the bell is preferably provided with a unidirectionalV clutch. Referring to Figs. 4` and 6, this clutch comprises a dog |48 mounted on'gear |44 and operating upon a ratchet wheel Al secured to pinion |46.' During unwinding of the cam wheel drive spring, the ratchet l5@ engages dog |48 and causesrotation` of gear |44 with consequent operation of the bell. However, during winding of the spring, the ratchet wheel |56 turns` in counterclockwise direction and the teeth simply pass dog |48 without rotating gear |44.

It is believed that the construction and operation, as wellas the many advantages of my improved toy will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. To preparethe toy for operation, it is merely necessary to push a vehicle rearwardly into each of the garage compartments. This forces the pushers back until they are engaged by the latches. The motor spring is then wound by turning the crank at the top of the building. This may be done either before or after pushing the vehicles into the building. The control device or alarm rbox is then used to release or trip the detent holding the motor spring in wound condition, whereupon the motor spring functions rst to set the signal alarm into operation and at the same time to sequentially discharge the vehicles from the building. The alarm operates for an appreciable time before the rst Vehicle leaves the building, and then continues operating during the time interval prior to departure of the second vehicle from the building.y

It will be understood that with the motordriven cam type of latch release used in the present toy, it is readily possible to provide more than two vehicles and to discharge the increased number oi vehicles successively from the building. It will valso be understood that motor-driven rather than motorless vehicles may be used, in which case the latches, instead of holding and then releasing pushers, are used to hold and then release the wound vehicles.

It will therefore be apparent that while I have shown and described my invention in a preierred form, many changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the vinvention deiined in the following claims.

I claim: y

l. A toy comprising a simulated building, a

. plurality rof simulated vehicles therein, a single control device, and movable means moved in response to a single operation of saidv control device, said movable means during its motion causing successive departure of the vehicles from the building.

2. A toy comprising a simulated building, a plurality of simulated vehicles therein, a simulated alarm signal, a single control device, and movable means moved in response to a single operation of said control device, said movable means during its motion causing successive departure of the vehicles from the building and operation of the alarm signal to accompany the departure of each of the Vehicles.

3. A toy comprising a simulated building, a plurality of simulated vehicles therein, a simulated alarm signal, a simulated alarm box located remotely from said building, and movable remotely controlled means moved in response to a single operation of said alarm box, said movable means during its motion causing successive departure of the vehicles from the building and operation of the alarm signal to accompany the departure of each of the vehicles.

4. Afire house toy comprising a simulated re house, a plurality of motorless simulated fire fighting vehicles therein, a simulated alarm signal, a simulated re alarm box, and a motor started in response to yoperation of said alarm box, said motor during its ensuing koperation causing operation of the alarm signal and successive ejection of the vehicles from the fire house.

5. A toy comprising a plurality of vehicles, a spring motor, means to 'wind the same, means operated by said spring motor for causing departure of the vehicles successively with a time interval therebetween, a control device, and means whereby operation of said control device releases said spring motor. l

6. A toy comprising ka plurality of vehicles, a spring motor, means to Wind the same, a signal operated by said spring motor, additional means operated by said spring motor for causing departure of the vehicles successively with a time interval therebetween, a control device, and means whereby operation of the control device releases the spring motor for operation.

7. A toy comprising a simulated building, two simulated vehicles therein, a spring motor, means to wind the same,k an alarm signal arranged to be operated by said spring motor, additional means operated by said spring motor for causing the departure of first one of the vehicles and then the other of the vehicles, a control device, and means whereby operation of said control device releases said spring motor for operation.

8. A toy comprising a simulated building, two simulated vehicles therein, a spring motor, means to wind the same, an alarm signal arranged to be operated over a substantial period of time by said spring motor, additional means operated byv said spring motor for causing the departure of rst one of the vehicles and then the other of the Vehicles successively,'a simulated alarm box located remotely from said building, and means whereby operation of said alarm box releases said spring motor for operation.

9. A ire house toy comprising a simulated re house, two simulated iire fighting vehicles therein, a pusher in back of each vehicle, a spring motor, means to wind the same, an alarm signal arranged to be operated by said spring motor, additional means yoperated by said spring motor for causing the operation of first one of the pushers and then the other of the pushers, in order to push the vehicles out of the iire house successively, a control device, and means whereby operation of said control device releases said spring motor for operation.

10. A fire house toy comprising a simulated fire house, two motorless simulated re fighting vehicles therein, a spring motor, means to wind the same, an alarm signal arranged to be operated over a substantial period of time by said spring motor, additional means operated by said spring motor for causing the ejection of rst one of the vehicles and then the other of the vehicles successively, a simulated re alarm box, and means wherebyoperation of said alarm box releases said spring motor for operation.

11. A toy comprising a plurality of vehicles,

the latches are released successively with a time interval therebetween as the cam wheel rotates,

va spring tending to move said cam Wheel in one direction, a crank. for turningit in opposite direction to wind the spring, a detent to hold the cam wheel in wound position, and means to release the detent.

12. A toy comprising a simulated building, simulated vehicles received in the building, means to move the vehicles out of the building, a latch at each vehicle for holding sai-d means in check, a cam wheel having a cammin'g element adapted to release one of the latches at one point in its rotation and to release another of the latches at another point in its rotation, a spring tending to move said cam wheel in one direction, a crank for turning it in opposite direction to wind the spring, a detent to hold the cam in wound position, andv means to release the cam detent. 13. A toy comprising a simulated building, simulated vehicles received in the building, means to move the vehicles out of the building, a latch at each vehicle for holding said means in check, a cam wheel having a camming element adapted to release one of the latches at one Y point in its rotation and t release another of the latches at another point in its rotation, a spring tending to movev said cam wheel in one direction, a crank for turning it in opposite directionv to wind the spring, a detent'to hold the cam in wound position, a simulated alarm box relatively remote from said building, and means connecting said alarm box to the cam detent.

14. A toy comprising a simulated building, simulated vehicles received in the building, means to move the vehicles out of the building, a latch at each vehicle for holding said means in check,

-a cam Wheel having a camming element adapted to release one of the latches at one point in its rotation and to release another of the latches at another point in its rotation, a spring tending to move said cam wheel iin one direction, a crank for turning it in opposite direction to wind the spring, a detent to hold the cam in wound position, an alarm signal mechanism, means including a step-up gear train connecting said cam wheel to said alarm signal mechanism in order to operate the same continuously during the successive release of the latches, and means to release the cam detent.

15. A toy comprising a simulated building, simulated vehicles received in the building, a vehicle-ejecting pusher in back ofk each vehicle and reciprocable in the direction of movement of the vehicle, a spring at each pusher normally urging the pusher Vforwardly, a latch. at eachpusher for holding the pusher in rearward position against the force of thev spring a cam wheel having a camming element adapted to release one of the latches at one point in its rotation and to release the other of the latches at another point in its rotation, a spring tendingV to move said cam wheel in one direction, a crank forv turning it in opposite direction to wind the spring, a detent to hold the cam in wound position, an alarm signal mechanism, step-up gearing connecting said cam wheel to said alarm signal mechanism in order to operate the same over a substantial period of time and during the successive releasey of the pushers, and means to release the cam detent. Y

16. A toy re house comprising a simulated fire house building, a simulated re fighting` vehicle received near each end of the building, a vehicle-ejectingpusher in back of each vehicle and reciprocable in the direction of movement of the vehicle, a spring on each pusher normally urging the pusher forwardly, a latch at each pusher for holding the pusher in rearward position against the force of the spring, a cam wheel disposed in the fire house building between the vehicles and having a single camming element adapted to release one of the latches at one point in its rotation and to'release the otherV of the latches at another point in its rotation, a stop to limit the movement ofthe cam wheel to a single revolution, a spring tending to move said cam wheel in onedirection, a crank for turning it in opposite direction to wind the spring, a detent to hold the cam wheel in wound position, an alarm signal mechanism, step-up gearing connecting said cam wheel to said alarm signal mechanism in order to operate the same over a substantial period of time and during the successive release of the pushers, a simulated alarm box relatively remote from said i'lre house, and means connecting said alarm box to the detent in order to release the cam Wheel and to thereby set the signal into continuous operation and the pushers into successive operation.

175A toy comprising a simulated building, a plurality Aof simulated vehicles therein, a control device, a motor arranged to bestartedin response to said control device, and means whereby said motor in the course of its ensuing operation causes successive departure of the vehicles from the building.

18. A toy comprising a simulated building, a plurality of simulated vehicles therein, a simulated alarm signal, a control device, a motor arranged to be started in response to said control device, and means whereby the ensuing operation of the motor causes successive departure of the vehicles from the building and at the same time operates the alarm signal to accompan the departure of the vehicles.

RAYMOND LOI-IR. 

